Make a Bean TeePee

You know how people say that as a woman gets older, she gets more like her mother? Could be. I find myself more and more interested in things appropriate to a farmer or even a pioneer. And guess what my mom's nickname is? Pioneer Mom. As in the old pioneer days when you did everything yourself. I actually have a long way to go before meeting her high standard of self-sufficiency, but I'm working on it. I checked out The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series)
from the local library. I highly recommend it for those who really don't have a clue as to where to get started (and that would be me.) It's full of easy and inexpensive ways to dig in. Hence, my new pole bean teepee. I scrounged some bamboo poles from the garage and a large tree branch I had been meaning to throw away, lashed them togther with some of the t-shirt yarn mentioned in a previous post (didn't see that application coming) and instant teepee! Once I clear the grass and make a trip to the local nursery for beans I'm set.

My New Favorite Crocheted Rose Pattern

I have been meaning to post this picture for awhile. Rarely do I find a crochet book that I really, really like. Well, I really, really like The Crochet Bible: The Complete Handbook for Creative Crochet
by Sue Whiting. These three roses were made from a pattern in the book and I love how they turned out. (That's the same pattern as the red rose in the upper right corner of the book's front cover.) I used a slightly larger yarn than called for so these came out about 5" across - hooray for big flowers! I tend to think of them as camellias rather than roses but who cares what you call them. There are a couple more projects in the book calling to me - always the sign of a good crochet book.

Artisan Bread For Dummies

I got this great bread book for Chrismas - thanks, Leigh! The book is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
and I figure I am the perfect test case since I have never attempted to bake my own bread. (Bread machines don't count.) Here's what you do: Mix up a big batch of dough that will keep in your frig for 2 weeks. (And I do mean mix - no kneading required.) When you are ready to bake a loaf just pull off a hunk. The '5 minutes' is how much time you actually handle the dough - there is some added wait and bake time, but who cares about that? I am happy to let the dough rest for 40 minutes while I do something else and then bake for another 30 minutes while I still do something else. And no kneading. Ever. Big plus. The photo above is the basic loaf, but the book contains lots and lots of different recipes. I made the sweet rolls the other night - very tasty but a little too much work for lazy me. I'm going to stick to the easy ones like this...

The Perfect Crochet Book for Beginners

I recently volunteered to teach a group of kids to crochet. Since I learned the craft rather haphazardly (whatever I picked up as needed) I thought it might be a good idea to review my favorite how-to book. Sure enough, I am doing a few things wrong (like how I hold that darned hook.) This aptly titled book is extremely readable and is perfect for absolute beginners. It even explains the hieroglyphics that pass for instructions in most patterns. Check out Crocheting in Plain English: Easy-to-follow lessons in patterns, Sensible solutions to nagging problems, The only book any crocheter will ever Need over at Amazon where you can view the Table of Contents and read the first chapter.